Analysis of thermal problems in development of spent fuel transport cask for research reactors

Abstract

A packaging for the transport of irradiated fuel from research reactors was designed by a group of researchers to improve the capability in the management of spent fuel elements from the reactors operated in the region. Two half scale models for MTR fuel were constructed and tested so far and a third one for both MTR and TRIGA fuels will be constructed and tested next. Four test campaigns have been carried out, covering both normal and hypothetical accident conditions of transportation. The thermal test is part of the requirements for the qualification of transportation packages for nuclear reactors spent fuel elements. In this paper, both the numerical modelling and experimental thermal tests performed are presented and discussed. The cask is briefly described as well as the finite element model developed and the main adopted hypotheses for the thermal phenomena. The results of both numerical runs and experimental tests are discussed as a tool to validate the thermal modelling. The impact limiters, attached to the cask for protection, were not modelled.

Keywords:

• Spent fuel transport
• Finite element modelling
• Thermal analysis

Acknowledgements

This job has been funded by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (Brazil) and Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (Argentina).

The authors wish to recognise the effort and dedication of Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (Brazil) technical staff.